How I Met my Goddess

I was a child when I first saw my goddess’s face, not older than ten or eleven. I was obsessed with India as a little girl, so my parents bought me a travel guide to look through. It had lots and lots of pictures, and a section on annual festivals. The picture that headed off the festival chapter was an icon of a beautiful lady in a shimmering white dress, with golden skin and a mysterious smile.

What was this lady’s name? Why, she was Sarasvati, the goddess of learning! A goddess of learning sounded marvelous to me, and so did the ritual where books and writing instruments were bought to her temple to be blessed. I would like to worship her, I thought, if only she were real… So I forgot about her.